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Albert Camus

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Friday, June 23, 2017

between - The Lunam Deception (The Lunam Series #2) by Nicole Loufas

Never, ever did I think I would write a paranormal romance. It’s not my thing. In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have written a PNR as my second book. Because that isn’t who I am or want to be. It confused the few readers I accumulated from Thizz. It slowed my roll, so to speak. - Nicole Loufas

Description:

Published: June 20th, 2017

Kalysia has lived her life according to others – a fate she will not pass on to her child. When a conspiracy to bring down the pack threatens to uncover her darkest secrets; Kalysia must fight to protect the truth about the man she wants, at the expense of the man she was fated to love.

Jase has fought his entire life. For his honor, his freedom, and his family. Nothing in his past could’ve prepare him for her. Kalyisa is everything he never knew he always wanted. Is he willing to risk his life, her honor, and Dillan’s pride to win her heart?

"I hope all of you reading this are smart enough to give this series a chance. You will get all of the feelings; jealousy, excitement, sadness, happiness, anger, passion.I assure you will become a fan of Nicole Loufas and that you will want to read more Paranormal Romances in the future. She did the almost impossible job of making me like a PNR book and for that she is now one of my favorite writers." - DianaLaura, Goodreads

Lunam Ceremony (#1)

Like most eighteen-year-old girls, Kalysia has dreams of going to college and falling in love. Born to a family of pure blood shifters; she must set aside her dreams for the good of the pack. Something this strong-willed free spirit is finding difficult to accept.

After an ancient ritual matches her with the strongest alpha in her pack, she takes her place as leader. Determined to create a society that doesn’t judge you on your DNA, Kalsyia challenges tradition at every turn, even if it means losing her power and place in the pack.

When her best friend appears on her doorstep, she is thrilled to have an ally. Soon she discovers that her friend and her soulmate harbor a secret. An offer has been made that will give Kalysia a chance to live the life she’s always wanted.

One night of selfishness, leads to an act of betrayal, that uncovers a dirty secret hidden by the pack elders, and threatens to destroy them all.

EXCERPT

There are over three
hundred breweries at this year’s craft brew fest. Each brewery has at least
three beers on tap—that’s nine hundred beers that I won’t be tasting.

Dillan was up and out
of our hotel room before eight this morning. He was invited to the brewer’s
breakfast, where a bunch of men sit around talking about hops like it’s cool.

I walk to the expo
around noon; it’s already packed. I maneuver my belly through the crowd to our
booth. The line for samples is long.

“Hey, Rusty,” I call
through the wall of people. “Where’s Dillan?”

Rusty looks up from the
women so obviously flirting with him. “He’s sniffing around the Black Diamond
Brewery table. Wait here, he’ll be back soon.”

I move past the group
and join Rusty on the other side of the table. “Should I help?”

“Do you know anything
about the beer?”

“Nope.”

“Just sit over there.”
He points to a chair in the corner.

Rusty fields questions
like a pro and handles the crowd fairly well for a little while. As more people
arrive, he can’t pour beer fast enough.

“Okay, you’re up.” He
waves me over. “You pour and I’ll serve.”

I turn to the taps and
grab a cup. “What do I do?”

He gives me a quick
rundown of what is what.

“Just keep pouring
until I tell you to stop. I want at least fifteen or twenty of each lined up on
this table.” He points to the table in front of the taps.

After fifteen minutes,
I decide pouring sucks. I can’t get the foam right. I tilt too much. The cups
are lined up with uneven pours. I quickly realize nobody cares. They’re all
tipsy and enamored by my brother.

I look at the beer
flowing out of the tap and all over the table. “Oh shit!” I step back and drop
the cup, splashing beer all over my pants and shoes.

Dillan looks at me like
I’m crazy. “Are you okay? Do you want to sit down?” He motions to the chair. I
don’t move. If I turn around, Joe will see my face.

“Looks like someone’s
been sampling the beer,” Joe jokes.

Dillan looks over my
head and smiles. He’s back in sales mode. “Not this one, she’s seven months
pregnant.”

“Well,
congratulations,” Joe says.

“Thank you,” Dillan
replies. He nudges me to turn and be polite. I don’t move.

“We’ve taken up enough
of their time,” Lucky says. I detect a hint of anxiety in his tone. He figured
it out.

“Okay, okay,” Joe says
reluctantly. He thanks Rusty, and I hear him ask Lucky where the bathroom is.
Right before their voices fade into the crowd, he says his name: “Make
sure you let Jase know Howlin’ Ale is here. He’s a big fan.”

“Yeah sure, Joe,” Lucky
pacifies him. He has no intention on telling Jase I’m here. Not if he’s smart.

“Why the hell are you
even back here?” Dillan ushers me to the empty chair. He looks at the mess I
made. “Rusty, you should’ve called Drake or me to help.”

When Rusty doesn’t
answer, I look past Dillan to my brother. He’s serving a beer to the last
person on Earth I ever thought I’d see at this table.

“Rusty, clean that up,
I’ll take over.” Dillan walks to the table and hands Jase another cup. “If you
like the amber, you’ll love the red.”

Jase’s eyes flit to mine
as he takes the cup. “Thanks.”

What is he doing here?
Why would he intentionally put himself in danger?

“Sis, what the fuck?”
Rusty whispers as he mops the floor. “Should I do something?”

I shake my head no. We
can’t cause any suspicion. As far as Dillan is concerned, Jase is just another
festival goer.

“What do you think?”
Dillan asks.

Jase sets the cup down.
“I think I’m in love.” He smiles at me, and I gasp.

Rusty steps in front of
me and coughs. “It’s dusty in here.”

When Dillan turns to
look at Rusty, Jase winks at me. I don’t know if I want to kill him or kiss
him. The intensity of the moment finally catches up to me, and I begin to
laugh. Rusty starts laughing too, but it’s more of a manic,
what-are-you-laughing-at kind of laugh.

“You guys are weird,”
Dillan addresses me and my brother then turns back to Jase. “Sorry, she’s a
little hormonal, and he’s a little…”

“Homo,” Rusty yells.

Jase laughs, and so
does Dillan. For a brief second, the worst moment of my life doesn’t seem so
bad. Until it is.

“There you are, Jase.”
I look up at the sound of Joe’s voice and see Lucky chasing after him.

Nicole was born and raised in California. She claims to be a San Francisco native, however she's lived in both Northern and Southern California. She credits her creativity to the fact that she attended 12 schools between kindergarten and her senior year in high school. Her nomadic childhood allowed her to reinvent herself often. Some might say she was a liar. While others see the stories she told as a coping mechanism. Twelve schools, in six cities, in twelve years - give her a break. Today she channels her storytelling ability into writing novels. Long story short - kids that lie become writers.